A Healthier (but still scrumptious!) Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe!

So, when I started my healthier eating journey one thing became clear:  my chocolate chip cookies would have to remain the occasional unhealthy indulgence.  You see, I made THE BEST chocolate chip cookies.  Even my baker-husband concedes that he cannot touch them!  Friends at work have commented over the years feeling that I needed to enter them into some type of contest.

I have a secret.

It is the recipe on the Crisco stick package..........
 I am cringing.

Well, there is a good reason for that.  Crisco is a wonderful cookie maker.  It doesn't spread out like butter, leaving your cookies thicker, yet soft and chewy.  I suspect it is because of the consistency of the Crisco at room temperature.  ANYWAY I was spying  my jar of coconut oil last night and thinking about how alike it is in consistency to Crisco (but much, much, much,much healthier...)  So decided to give it a try.  I also decided to replace some of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour.  I assure you, they are still just as delicious!!!
(PLUS...I had one for breakfast this morning and they kept their soft chewy center...shhhh)



Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 C Coconut oil
1 1/4 C. Light brown sugar
2T. Milk (preferably raw)
1T. Vanilla extract
1 Egg (preferably pastured)
1 C. Unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 C. Whole wheat flour
1 t. Salt
3/4 t. Baking soda
Chocolate chips or carob chips

Beat the coconut oil, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla together with a mixer.  Add the egg and beat lightly.  In a separate bowl, add the flours, salt, and baking soda.  Gradually add to the wet mixture to form a sort of stiff batter.  Add the chips.  I don't put an amount here because I eyeball it.  The recipe calls for one cup....but really?  Who uses just one?

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Drop cookies by the spoonful and bake for 10-11 minutes  NO LONGER!!!!!!  They might look a little under-done when you take them out, but they will set up. If you over bake them they will become hard.  Let cool.  Enjoy.  Bring out the coffee!!!

The Benefits of Natural Eating

I didn't grow up a health food nut.  My mom cooked from scratch, which is great, but we had all of the conveniences of pre-packaged foods too.  As a matter of fact, I really didn't give a hoot about nutrition until I was pregnant with my first daughter.  Around that time, I started reading books on how to make your own baby food, and much to my surprise....it was easy!  A couple of times, I tried to sneak a can of processed baby food in on my kids, but they obviously knew the difference in flavor!

Over the past 9 years, I have done a lot of reading.  What I have found (in a nutshell) is that we are so confident in our ability to synthesize nature, that we are slowly killing ourselves.  Way back when my grandma was a young mother, doctors used to examine the breast milk of a mother after first giving birth, and if the deemed it too thin or inadequate, they urged them to use their laboratory made formula instead.  They were told that it was better for their babies than good old breast milk.  We might look at that and laugh now, but there are many things that we are doing in the name of health and science that I believe is killing us.  We hear all of the time that people are living longer, but are they living healthier--or are they living doctor's appointment to doctor's appointment?  Chronic diseases like asthma, and diabetes are on the rise in even our youngest of folk.  Not to mention autism. So science has made things better and worse.  At least we know that germs make you sick, and we should wash our hands, but we have taken it a step further and disinfected our lives all the while breathing in the toxic Lysol fumes that supposedly make us healthy! (and we seriously wonder why breathing is such an issue?)  We inject synthesized and killed viruses into our bodies along with a slurry of preservatives in order to ward off some serious (and some not-so-serious) diseases.

So what about the foods we eat?  Are the hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats in margarine really better for us than old fashioned natural butter?  Are the rancid vegetable oils really better for us than saturated animal fats and the harshly condemned tropical oils?  Is it better to drink milk that has been heated to high temps and altered to make the fats more uniform, than it is to drink fresh whole raw milk right from the cow?   I believe that the answer is a resounding NO!   I think it is also true that the overall health of the animal you are consuming has a huge impact on what kind of nutrients we gain from eating it.

And doesn't it make sense?  At some point, will we stop trying to make better food in a laboratory and begin to trust what God has given us?  Whole, real, unprocessed foods.  That's what I'm talking about.  I am on a journey.  I consider it a journey because it is not easy.  It's hard to find foods that have not been altered, sprayed, or changed from it's natural state.  Sometimes it is illegal.  Raw milk, for instance, is illegal for farmers to sell in Indiana.  There are ways around the law: owning your own cow, joining a cow-share, or buying a gallon of milk that has been labeled NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.  Kinda sad if you think about it. 

I am going to be doing a series of posts on this topic.  Hopefully, I can share some of the information that I have gleaned from my reading, and those of you who think I am crazy will begin to understand a bit more.  My brother-in-law teases me and says that we all have to die of something. BUT if I could get through my life without having to have my chest cracked open and arteries bypassed, I will be that much happier for it.  I realize that I have spent half of my life already eating things that aren't good for me....I hope that the second half can make a difference! 

Brown Rice Shrimp Creole

Brown Rice Shrimp Creole

1 Large onion, diced
1 Large green bell pepper, diced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 cups of vegetable broth--or 4 cups of water and one vegetable bouillon cube
1 Tomato, diced
1-1 1/2 lb. Shrimp, peeled and deveined
Bunch of broccoli
1C. Brown rice
Chili powder--to taste
Cayenne pepper--to taste


Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet.  Saute onion, bell pepper and garlic until onion is translucent.  Add the broth, tomato, rice, and seasonings, and partially cover and simmer for 45 minutes.  Remove lid and add broccoli and shrimp.  Cook just until shrimp curl up and turn pink.  Add more water if too dry. 

He Covers Me

I know, I know.  You probably hate when people blog song lyrics!  So leave then.  I love music.  When I play the piano, I feel like I can pour my emotions out onto the keys and express myself through a few notes.  (not that I am that great of a piano player...but)  And then there are the occasional lyrics that make you stand and scream YES! YES!  That is truth.

That is why I love Steve Camp. 

His music is so full of truth.  So some inspiration for a Friday-my favorite Steve Camp song~

He Covers Me

Oh Lord, I feel so lonely,
and ashamed of who I am.
How I often fell,
I hid it well.
It is a lie I cannot defend.
So I lean upon your mercy,
As I confess my sin to You.
There is no easy way,
No saving face-
When You finally see the truth.
So let my life be filled with only You.

I know some day I will be free,
The weight of sin shall be released,
But for now He covers me.
And though the trials never end,
I've learned to take them as my friend,
For each day He covers me!

Sometimes the pressure builds around me,
And I feel about to break.
I suffer painfully from wrongs done to me,
But vengence isn't mine to take.
So let me glory in my weakness,
Until Your strength is revealed in me.
It is Your grace alone,
That helps me carry on.
To be the man I long to be.
So let Your life be perfected Lord, in me-
Until it's YOU they see!

I know some day I will be free,
The weight of sin shall be released,
but for now He covers me.
And thought the trials never end,
I've learned to take them as my friend.
For each day-He covers me!

And though heartache surrounds me-
I know Your love is around me!
Nothing can separate me from You!
I KNOW it's true!

Best EVER Baked Potato Soup

My friend Cindy shared this recipe several years back in our church cookbook.  Evidently, The Machine Shed is an incredible Amish style restaurant here in Indiana.  I have never been there, but if everything there is this good, I am a fan!

The Machine Shed's Baked Potato Soup

2 1/2 lb. baby red potatoes, quartered
1/2 lb. raw bacon, diced
1 jumbo yellow onion, diced
1/4 bunch celery, diced
4C.  Water
4T.  Chicken base
4C. milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 sticks of butter
3/4 C. flour
1C. Heavy cream
1/4 bunch parsley, chopped

for garnish: crisp fried bacon bits, shredded colby cheese, chopped green onions.

Boil potatoes for 10 minutes or until tender.  Drain and set aside.  In a large, heavy pot, saute bacon, onions, and celery until celery is tender.  Drain any grease and return mixture  to pan.  Add milk, water, chicken base, salt and pepper.  Heat over med-hi heat until very hot.  Do not boil.  In a heavy, large saucepan or medium skillet, melt butter and add flour.  Mix well and allow to bubble, stirring for 1 minute.  While constantly stirring soup, slowly add the mixture.  Continue stirring soup until thick and creamy.  Stir in potatoes, cream, and parsley.  Serve while hot.  Garnish with cheese, bacon, green onions, or all three.

You might think this is an unhealthy recipe due to the amount of fat.  There are all whole, healthy ingredients!  (except maybe to bacon)....Enjoy!

Check out my friend Angela's blog for more soup recipies:

http://mylifeinwhichhehasplacedme.blogspot.com/2011/05/farewell-to-soupyou-will-be-missed.html?spref=fb

Easy All-in-One Recipe

I found a great recipe in an old magazine.  I have tweaked it and made it my own :)  I love it because it is an all-in-one dish that is filling and goes a long way.  It re-heats easily too!

Broccoli, Chickpeas, and Sausage

2T. Olive oil
3/4 lb. Sweet Italian sausage-skin removed
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 can of chickpeas drained and rinsed (organic-of course!)
1 large bunch of broccoli
1tsp. Oregano (dried)
3/4 tsp.  Salt
1/4 Tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 lb. Gemelli or other short-shaped pasta
2/3 C. Fresh grated parmesan cheese
A handful of fresh parsley, chopped.

1.  Cook pasta per directions.

2.  Heat olive oil in a pan, add sausage and brown lightly.  In the last minute, add garlic.

3.  Stir in chickpeas, seasonings, and broccoli  (I lightly steam broccoli in the microwave with a tsp. of water first)  Cook until heated through and broccoli is tender.  Add 1/4 cup of pasta water if mix is too dry.

4.  Toss the mixture with a third cup of the cheese.  If it is too dry for your taste, add more of the pasta water. 
5. Serve immediately topped with the rest of the cheese and sprinkled with parsley.